Fountain pen



United States Patent 3,182,636 FUUNTAHN PEN Michael Aidan Perry, Gosport, Engiand; Aiice Mary Perry, executrix of said Michael Aidan Perry, deceased,

assignor to E. S. Perry Limited, Gosport, Hampshire,

Engiand, a British company Filed .luiy 17, 1961, Ser. No. 124,5tl 3 Claims. (Cl. 120--50) This invention relates to fountain pens of the type having a reservoir for liquid ink and in which the ink is fed to a writing nib via a feed device, incorporated with a feed bar, lying along the nib. The object of the invention is to improve the construction of the feed device with a view to ensuring a good ink flow, avoiding or substantially minimizing the liability of ink congealing in the feed channel along the feed device, and preventing lateral leakage between the feed device and the nib. The invention also lends itself to the incorporation with the feed bar, which is usually made of a hard, unyielding material such as vulcanite, having or capable of receiving a smooth surface which does not impede the ink flow, of a second material having a degree of flexibility or softness to provide a surface which makes good contact with that portion of the nib which lies forward of the usual pierced hole in the nib.

The invention consists in a fountain pen feed device which includes a writing nib, a feed bar shaped to lie underneath the nib and in contact therewith and having a longitudinal groove in its upper surface extending to the forward extremity thereof, a feed member made of more flexible material than the feed bar located in the bottom of the groove in the feed bar and having an end portion projecting forwardly from the feed bar and shaped to lie underneath the nib and in contact therewith, and a closure member made of more flexible material than the feed bar and arranged to be a press fit within the groove and to lie above the feed member but entirely within the cross-section of the feed bar and behind the end portion of the feed member whereby the feed and cover members have mutually confronting upper and lower surfaces respectively, there being a duct effective for feeding ink to the writing nib constituted by a groove extending along the upper surface of the feed member and the forwardly projecting end thereof, and a channel effective for the admission of displacement air constituted by a groove extending along the lower surface of the cover member and having an air inlet opening in its forward end.

Conveniently the closure member is made of a material, for example, a synthetic thermoplastic material, which is relatively soft compared with the material of the feed bar so that the closure member will make good contact with the undersurface of the nib and will retain itself in position in the groove.

One embodiment of the invention will now be decribed more in detail by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal section showing the main parts of a fountain pen equipped with a feed device according to the invention, 7

FIGURE 2 is a corresponding section drawn to a larger scale of the front end of the feed device shown FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal section showing the main ing nib,

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the structure shown in FIGURE 2,

FIGURE 4 is a section taken on the line 44 of FIG. 2.

In the construction shown in the drawings, the part marked is the hollow body or barrel of a fountain pen and the part 14- is a point section screwed to the front 3,182,636 Patented May 11, 1965 end of the barrel 15. The pen has a writing nib 12 and a feed device incorporating a feed bar 24 held in a sleeve 21 having screw-threaded engagement with an internal thread in the point section 14 of the pen. When the feed arrangement is in position in the fountain pen, the rear end of the feed device is in contact with the ink in a reservoir formed within the barrel 15 and connected at its front end to the rear end of the point section 14.

The feed device includes a feed bar 24 which is generally cylindrical in shape and is made of a fairly hard material, such as Vulcanite or a comparable synthetic plastic. In its upper surface, which lies in contact With the under-surface of the nib 12, the feed bar is provided with a longitudinal rectangular groove 26 which runs along the whole length of the feed bar. A feed member 25 made of more flexible material than the feed bar is located in the bottom of the groove 26 and a closure member 27, also made of more flexible material than the feed bar, is arranged to be a press fit within the groove 26 and to lie above the feed member but entirely within the cross-section of the feed bar. The feed member 25 and the closure member 27 thus have mutually confronting upper and lower surfaces respectively. The feed member 25 is formed in its upper surface with a deep, narrow vertical channel 28 which runs from the reservoir end (not shown) to a point very close to the forward end of the feed member. The feed member is provided with a base portion 29 which is of substantially the same width as the groove 26 but is relieved along the upper parts of its two sides at 30 and 31. The closure member 27 is rectangular in cross section and is provided with a longitudinal groove 32 along its under surface. It is of substantially the same width as the groove 26, so that when the parts are assembled together one large longitudinal duct is formed by the deep channel 28 in the feed member 25 and the channel 32 in the closure member 27, and two separate side ducts are formed by the two side reliefs 3b and 31 which are closed by the under surface of the closure member 27.

The feed bar is of substantially cylindrical form and its outer end face is bevelled at 33. The feed member projects beyond the outer end of the feed bar and has its end face bevelled at 34. The upper surface of the feed member is formed with lands 35, 36 and 37 which conform to the curved under surface of the writing nib and these lands are separated by grooves 38, 39 and 40, which provide a slight clearance from the under surface of the nib, so that ink may readily flow thereto from the deep channel 28.

The deep channel 28 terminates at a point 41 near the.

outer end of the feed member and a small projecting beak d2 prevents uncontrolled flow of ink from the deep channel 28 towards the writing end of the nib.

The feed member is conveniently made of a material which is relatively soft and flexible compared with the material of the feed bar and the portion of the feed member which projects beyond the end of the feed bar may with advantage have its upper surface inclined upwardly to a small extent (FIGURE 2) so that when the nib is placed in position and the assembly is clamped together, by forcing the sleeve 21 over the assembly, the raised portion is pressed down and good contact is assured between the lands 35, 36 and 37 and the under surface of the nib, as shown in FIGURE 1.

A step is formed in the feed member just behind the projecting portion which, when the parts are assembled, forms a cavity 46. The cavity 46 communicates with the side ducts 3t and 31.

A small projection 43 is shown at the bottom of the feed member which lies in a slot 44 in the feed bar. This projection is formed in manufacturing the part by injection moulding and is not an essential part of the construction or of the invention.

The nib 12 has a slit running from its point to a hole 23, in the usual manner. Near its outer end, the closure member 27 is formed with an elongated hole 45 leading from the channel 32 and emerging at the upper surface thereof in register with the air hole 23 in the nib.

In use, tilting of the pen into a writing position causes ink to flow from the reservoir along the deep channel 28 and the two side channels 30 and 31 into the cavity 46 and thence to the grooves 38, 39 and 40 so that ink is supplied to the writing nib. The flow of ink causes a slight negative pressure in the reservoir and air entering through the air hole 23 in the nib passes inwardly through the hole 45 in the closure member and travels along the groove 32 to the reservoir to relieve the depression. This allows more ink to flow downwardly, until the level of ink at the lower part of the feed assembly rises to such a level that the hole 45 is closed. After this no further air can enter the reservoir until a certain amount of ink has been removed from the nib by the action of writing When the hole is again uncovered. In this way excessive flow of ink is prevented.

The two sides of the body member 24 are formed with a series of grooves 47 separated by projecting portions 48 which retain ink when the pen is in use.

I claim:

1. In a fountain pen, a reservoir for liquid ink, a writing nib, a feed bar whereover said writing nib lies, said feed bar communicating by one end with said reservoir and having a substantially circular cross-section except for a longitudinal rectangular sectioned groove formed in the surface thereof, said longitudinal groove extending from end to end of said feed bar, a feed member located in the bottom of said longitudinal groove, a longitudinal closure member arranged to be a press fit within said longitudinal groove and to lie above said feed member but entirely within said substantially circular cross-section of said feed bar, said longitudinal closure member being of more flexible material than said feed bar and being grooved in that surface arranged to confront a channelled surface of said feed member so as to define a closed longitudinal duct extending, in said feed bar, from the ink reservoir end thereof to a point short of the other end of said feed bar, said closure member being transversely apertured adjacent its end remote from said reservoir in register with the adjacent end of said longitudinal duct so as to provide communication between said duct and the under surface of said writing nib, said feed member having an upwardly curved end projecting forwardly of said feed bar from said longitudinal groove and constituting a support for said feed member, said end of said feed member having lands, with grooves therebetween, on that surface arranged to confront said writing nib, said grooves com- 4- municating with said longitudinal duct to improve the flow of ink to said writing nib.

2. In a fountain pen, a reservoir for liquid ink, a writing nib, a feed bar whereover said writing nib lies, said feed bar communicating by one end with said reservoir and having a substantially circular cross-section except for a longitudinal rectangular sectioned groove formed in the surface thereof, said longitudinal groove extending from end to end of said feed bar, a feed member having relieved side surfaces located in the bottom of said longitudinal groove, a longitudinal closure member arranged to be a press fit within said longitudinal groove and to lie above said feed member but entirely within said substantially circular cross-section of said feed bar, said longitudinal closure member and said feed member being of more flexible material than said feed bar and said longitudinal closure member being grooved in that surface arranged to confront a channelled surface of said feed member so as to define a closed longitudinal duct extending, in said feed bar, from the ink reservoir and thereof to a point short of the other end of said feed bar, said closure memher being transversely apertured adjacent its end remote from said reservoir in register with the adjacent end of said longitudinal duct so as to provide communication between said duct and the under surface of said writing ib, said feed member having an upwardly curved end projecting forwardly of said feed bar from said longitudinal groove and constituting a support for said writing nib, said end of said feed member having lands, with grooves therebetween, on that surface arranged to confront said writing nib, said grooves communicating with said longitudinal duct to improve the flow of ink to said nib.

3. In a fountain pen according to claim 2, a writing nib holder arranged to receive an end of said writing nib and for said feed bar to extend therethrough, that end of said feed bar projecting from said holder adjacent said writing nib having a plurality of transverse part circumferential grooves in the side surfaces thereof.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 776,428 11/04 Schnell 120-5O 1,498,558 6/24 Liddell 1205O 2,935,968 5/60 Morse et a1 120-50 FOREIGN PATENTS 860,294 2/61 Great Britain.

991,131 6/51 France.

1,119,961 4/56 France. 1,156,940 12/57 France.

1,034,066 7/58 Germany.

JEROME SCI-INALL, Primary Examiner.

, G. HINES, ]R., CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Examiners. 

2. IN A FOUNTAIN PEN, A RESERVOIR FOR LIQUID INK, A WRITING NIB, A FEED BAR WHEREOVER SAID WRITING NIB LIES, SAID FEED BAR COMMUNICATING BY ONE END WITH SAID RESERVOIR AND HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCULAR CROSS-SECTION EXCEPT FOR A LONGITUDINAL RECTANGULAR SECTIONED GROOVE FORMED IN THE SURFACE THEREOF, SAID LONGITUDINAL GROOVE EXTENDING FROM END TO END OF SAID FEED BAR, A FEED MEMBER HAVING RELIEVED SIDE SURFACES LOCATED IN THE BOTTOM OF SAID LONGITUDINAL GROOVE, A LONGITUDINAL CLOSURE MEMBER ARRANGED TO BE A PRESS FIT WITHIN SAID LONGITUDINAL GROOVE AND TO LIE ABOVE SAID FEED MEMBER BUT ENTIRELY WITHIN SAID SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCULAR CROSS-SECTION OF SAID FEED BAR, SAID LONGITUDINAL CLOSURE MEMBER AND SAID FEED MEMBER BEING OF MORE FLEXIBLE MATERIAL THAN SAID FEED BAR AND SAID LONGITUDINAL CLOSURE MEMBER BEING GROOVED IN THAT SURFACE ARRANGED TO CONFRONT A CHANNELLED SURFACE OF SAID FEED MEMBER SO AS TO DEFINE A CLOSED LONGITUDINAL DUCT EXTENDING, IN SAID FEED BAR, FROM THE INK RESERVOIR AND THEREOF TO A POINT SHORT OF THE OTHER END OF SAID FEED BAR, SAID CLOSURE MEMBER BEING TRANSVERSELY APERTURED ADJACENT ITS END REMOTE FROM SAID RESERVOIR IN REGISTER WITH THE ADJACENT END OF SAID LONGITUDINAL DUCT SO AS TO PROVIDE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAID DUCT AND THE UNDER SURFACE OF SAID WRITING NIB, SAID FEED MEMBER HAVING AN UPWARDLY CURVED END PROJECTING FORWARDLY OF SAID FEED BAR FROM SAID LONGITUDINAL GROOVE AND CONSTITUTING A SUPPORT FOR SAID WRITING NIB, SAID END OF SAID FEED MEMBER HAVING LANDS, WITH GROOVES THEREBETWEEN, ON THAT SURFACE ARRANGED TO CONFRONT SAID WRITING NIB, SAID GROOVES COMMUNICATING WITH SAID LONGITUDINAL DUCT TO IMPROVE THE FLOW OF INK TO SAID NIB. 